Beaver County Commissioners paid off hackers this month using public money — the exact type of payment a bill currently sitting in Harrisburg would make illegal. The bill’s co-sponsor, Elder Vogel (R-47), is the county’s own state senator.
As BeaverCountian.com first reported on August 4, hackers took total control of systems belonging to Beaver County Behavioral Health, a county office that provides mental health, drug and alcohol, and intellectual disability services to some of the community’s most vulnerable residents. Commissioners authorized a $175,000 payment to get the stolen data back after hackers threatened to post it online.
Pennsylvania Senate Bill 415 — dubbed “Safeguarding The Commonwealth Against Ransomware Attacks” — would ban state and local governments from using taxpayer or other public money to pay an extortion attempt involving ransomware. It was introduced by Sen. Kristin Phillips-Hill (R-York) in March 2025 and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, where it remains parked without a vote. Vogel is one of six co-sponsors who signed on to the bill.
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